Obama notifies Congress about targeted airstrikes in Iraq

President Barack Obama on Sunday sent Congress a report notifying lawmakers that he had authorized military to conduct targeted airstrikes in Iraq to help the government retake the Mosul Dam as part of an ongoing campaign against Islamic militants.

Airmen with the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron airdropped 40 bundles of water for displaced citizens in the vicinity of Sinjar, Iraq. American planes conducted a second airdrop of food and water early Saturday for those trapped in the Sinjar mountains, said Pentagon chief spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby. (AP Photo/U.S. Air Force, Staff Sgt. Vernon Young Jr.)
AP

President Barack Obama on Sunday sent Congress a report notifying lawmakers that he had authorized military to conduct targeted airstrikes in Iraq to help the government retake the Mosul Dam as part of an ongoing campaign against Islamic militants.

The notification is required under the War Powers Resolution.

National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said the mission is consistent with Obama’s directive that military protect U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq. The failure of the Mosul Dam could threaten lives of a large number of civilians, threaten U.S. personnel and facilities, including the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, and prevent the Iraqi government from providing services to the Iraqi people, she said.

The operations, which the White House says are limited in duration and scope, are being undertaken at the request of the Iraq government.

The administration says it will continue to consult with the Congress on activities in Iraq against the Islamic militants knowsn as ISIS or ISIL.